Rotary-pump mechanism



jan. E13, 925.

A. L. ROCO ET AL ROTARY PUMP MECHANISM Filed May 8, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet n EN Egg@ Jam, 113, 1925.

A. L. ROCO ET AL Filed May B, 1925 Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNlED STATES 1,522,980 PATENT oFFlcE.

ALBERT L. IROCO AND MAHLON E. LAYNE, F HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE- HALF TO LAYNE & BOWLER CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A COR- IPORATION OF CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-HALF' TO LAYNE & BOWLER COMPANY, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS. f

ROTARY-PUMP MECEANISM.

Application led May 8,

A To all whom, z't may concern.'

Be it known that we, ALBERT L. Roco and MAHLON E. LAYNE, citizens of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Rotary-Pump Mechanism7 of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the mechanism employed to drive rotary 10 pumps and refers particularly toy mechanism employed to drive .rotary pumps used in deep water wells and the like.

Rotary pumps of the type to which this invention relates have hitherto included generally a pump positioned in a well hole and suspended therein by its discharge casing which in turn is secured to a frame at the top of the well. The pump is driven by an actuating shaft which extends vertically from the pump to the top of the well and is there connected to a suitable source of power, such as an electric motor. The actuating shaft of the pump is constructed in a plurality of sections to enable the shaft to be assembled at the top of the well and to be lowered down the well as each additional section is added. For joining the separate sections of the actuating shaft a coupling is commonly screw threaded to the ends of the separate sections. The coupling is so threaded to the sections of the actuating shaft that normal rotation of the actuating shaft by the power supplyI means will tighten the coupling upon the sections, As heretofore driven the actuating shaft has been uncoupled at the section due to a number of different causes. Thus when an electric motor is directly connected to the actuating shaft, a reversal of the proper driving direction of the electric motor will cause a torsion on the actuating shaft operating to unscrew the same. Such .reversal may be caused by a reversal of current supplied to the electric motor, as by accidentally crossing the lead wires to the electric motor. The uncoupling of the actuating shaft may also take place in the normal Operation of a pump. This-occurs after the pump has been employed to elevate the water. to the top of the well and the driving means of the pump shut down. The head of water which extends from the pump to the top of the well is sufficient to reverse the direction of rota- 1923. Serial No. 637,421.

tion of the impellers while thewater is falling back in the well. Such reversal of the actuating shaft tends to reverse the direction of rotation of the driving means. This tendency does not operate to unscrew the actuating shaft but when the water has resumed its level in the well, the impellers in the pump are brought to a more rapid stop than the driving means of the pump causing a torsion on the 'actuating shaft.'

tending to uncouple the sections thereof. The unscrewing of the actuating shaft not only disconnects the pump from the driving means and causes a destruction of the threads of coupling for the shaft sections which will .necessitate a removal of the pump from the well, repairment of the actuating shaft and reinstallation of the pump, but the unscrewing of such sections may cause the actuating shaft to be forced upward against the driving means, frequently causing severe damage thereto.

An object of this invention is to provide :1 rotary pump with mechanism .for driv- Aing the actuating shaft which mechanism is connected to the actuating shaft in only the direction which tends to tighten the couplings of the actuating shaft and which upon any torsion tending to uncouple the actuating shaft immediately disconnects the actuating shaft from the driving mechanism, thus preventingfthe uncoupling of the actuating shaft heretofore encountered.,

The advantages and objects of this invention will be apparent from the description hereafter contained wherein there is sat1 forth a number of examples embodying the invention. We desire to be understood to 2 illustrating the clutch of the coupling in ythe released position.

Fig. 5 is a section similar toFig. 4 with y the clutch in the driving vpositon.

f drawings the rotary pump mechanism there illustrated comprises a rotary pump 2y which is suspended inside a well by its rdisycharge casing@ 4 indicates a lframe at the top of the'well which supports the discharge casing 3. The rotary pump may be any of the preferredl or customary! -forms of such pumps, the constructionof which is well known to the art, and need not here be described. ySuch pump 2 is adaptedy to receive the fluid from the inlet casing 5y thereof and force fluid up and out of the discharge casing 3. 6 indicates the actuating shaft of the casing which extends .verti-f cally fromr the pump, up to the surface of ythe gro-und and is there connected toa ysuitable driving ymeans=which is generally indicated by an electric motor 7. Said actuating shaft 6 frequently extendsy several hundred lfeet or more to yreach the pump 2 and for conveniencey in assembling and lowering the pump in the well, said shaft is commonly built in sections which are joined together yby couplings 8" screw-y threaded onto the'ends of the sections. The couplings 8 are threaded to the actuating shaft 6in such direction that the normal rotation of the actuating shaft 6 by the driving means or electric motor 7 will tend to tighten the couplings 8 on the actuating shaft 6. 9 indicates a shaft casing which encloses the actuating shaft 6 from the pump to the top of the well and serves to protect the same from contact with the fluid in the discharge casing 3. At the surface of the well the discharge casing 8 is provided with a casing head 12 joining the discharge casing 3 with a lateral discharge line 13a. The actuating shaft 6 of the pump extends through said casing head 12and is provided thereabove with a one way flexible coupling 10 which joins the actuating shaft 6 to an operating shaft 11 of the electrical moto-r 7. Preferably the operating shaft 11 'of the motor 7 is axially aligned with the actuating shaft 6. 13 in dicates a bearing positioned inside the casing head for aligning the actuating shaft 6 which bearing is provided above the casing head 12 with a stuiiing box 14.

The one way flexible coupling 10 comprises a lower collar 15 which is keyed to the upper end of the actuating shaft 6 and held thereon by a nut 16. Said collar ycylindrical roller y26.

naaaeso 15 is formed with an annular flange 17y at its upper end. Ay rotatable ring member 18 encircles the outer periphery of the ange,

17 and is held thereon by a ring plate 19 securedto the ring member 18 by some Said equal intervals around the ring member 18.. f

23y indicates a collar keyed to the operating yshaft 11 of the electrical motor l7 which collar 23 is provided with an annular flangey24 at its lower end. A plurality'of vertically extending `studs 25 pass vthrough said flange 24 eaclrof which supports a The rollers f 26 are supported by the studs 25 at less ydistance from the axis of the shafts 11 and 6l than rthe distancey of the rollers 22y therefrom.

Preferably the number .of rollers 26 is equal tothe number of rollers 22. A belt 27 is wound between the rollers 26r and 22 engaging the rollers 22 at the side farthest away from they axis of the shaftsy 6 and 11 and engaging the rollers 26 at the sidey nearest the axis of said shafts 6 andy 7. (See Figure y3). Although rollers are shown on the studs 21 and 25,'said rollers may ybe omitted and the use thereof is only optional.

'By this construction a rotation of the operating shaft 11 will rotate the ring member` 18 since the rollers`26 rotate-d by said operating shaft 11 force the belt 27 against the rolle-rs 22 driving the ring member 18 therewith. Said ring member 18 is provided with a clutch 28 whereby said member may drive the collar 15. Said clutch 28 comprises a cam member 29 held in a V- shaped groove 30 in the periphery of the flange 17 of the collar 15. The cam member `29 is substantially equal in length to the groove 30, being slightly longer at the lower vendvas viewed in Fig. 4, and slightly shorter at the upper end with its outer surface gradually curving therebetween so that when said member is in the position indicated in Figure 4, the ring member- 18 is disengaged from the cam 29 and when the cam member 29 is in the positionindicated in Figure 5 the ring member is engaging the cam and tending to drive the collar 15 and thereby actuating the shaft 6. A spring 31 seated in the flange 17 operates normally to maintain the cam member 29 in the engag ing position.

When the motor 7 is driving the operating shaft 11 thereof in the normal direction, which in this case is counterclockwise as viewed in Figures 4 and 5, the spring 31 moves the cam member 29 to engage the ring member 18 and the cam 29 then rotates the )lill actuating shaft 6. f If the operating shaft 11 of the motor is rotated in the reverse direction, the friction of the ring member 1 8 will move the cam member- 29 to the position indicated in Figure 4, whereby the `actuating shaft 6 will be released from driving engagement with the driving shaft 11. Similarly the braking of the actuating shaft 6, after the same has been driven in the directionf reverse to the normal operation of the pump, will release the operating shaft 11 to continue its rotation and prevent the momentum of the motor uncoupling the actuating shaft. The one way drive connection thus provided will substantially eliminate the uncoupling of the actuating shaft heretofore encountered.

' Referring to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, the invention is illustrated in a somewhat inodiiied form in which a driving dog is employed as the one'way coupling means in place of the clutch heretofore described, and in which the general construction of the coupling between the shafts is modified.

In the drawings, 32 indicates the actuating shaft of the pump, the sections of which are'held together by couplings 33. 34 indicates a shaft enclosing casing which is positioned inside the water discharge casing 35. o f the pump. 36 indicates -acasing head Joining the top of the water discharge casing 35 and provided with an elbow 37 to whicha pipe line for conductingthe pumped water may be joined. At the top of the casing head 36 a cup 38 is provided surrounding the actuating shaft 32. A bearing 39 ]oins the shaft enclosing casing 34 below the cup 38 and extends upwardly into the cup having a sleeve l39a whichserves as a means to retain a lubricant in the cup. 40 indicates a race plate held in the bottom of the cup 38 which supports a plurality of inclined cylindrical bearings 41. A thrust member 42 is carried by the actuating shaft 32 inside thecup 38 which member has a lower tubular extension supporting a race yplate 43 engaging the bearings 41. Duets 44 in the cup 38 communicate with the lower end of the bearings 41 to enable lubricant to be su plied to said bearings. 45 indicates radial ucts extending through the thrust member 42, which furnishes lubricant tothe Said thrust member 42 is bearing 39.

an upper tubular extension 46 formed with `in which a vertically guided driving dog 47 is positioned (see Fig. 7). This dog slides in a guide way 48 and is pressed upwardly by a coiled s ring 49 positioned in the guide way. 50 in icates the driving shaft of the pump which may be driven by any suitable means, the lower end of which driving shaft is provided with a collar 51 keyed thereto which collar 51 has a tubular extension. 52. The under face of said tubular extension 52 is provided with la. recess 53, (see I1`ig. 7,)

adapted to lcooperate with the driving dog 47. This recess has .avertically extending face 54 and an inclined face 55 opposite thereto; by this construction it is evident that the operating shaft 50 candrive the actuating shaft 32 in one direction only and that the reversal of the operatingshaft 50 will cause the driving dog 47 to be forced downward in the guide way 48 by the conf lin various manners lwithout departing from -the spiritofthe invention. This invention is not limited to the specific construction heretofore described, but is of the scope set, forth in the appended claims.

We claim: l v

1. In a' rotary pump mechanism, the combination of a rotary pumpA adapted tobe suspended in a well, an actuating shaft extending vertically from the pump, a second shaft, means for driving said second shaft, and a one-way drive connection between the shafts.

2. In a rotary pump mechanism, a'rotary pump, a sectional pump shaft extending vertically upward from said pump, a second shaft axially alined with said pump shaft, means for driving said second shaft, and a one-way drive connection between the shafts.

3. In a rotary pump mechanism, a rotary pump, a sectional actuating shaft for the pump, a collar secured to the upper end of the actuating shaft, a driven shaft axially aligned with said actuating shaft, a collar for the second shaft, and means cooperating 'with said collars forming a one-way drive connection between the shafts.

4. In a rotary pump mechanism,the oombination of a rotary pump, an actuating shaft formed in a plurality of sections, couplings for the actuating shaft normally tightened by the torsion on the shaft during operation of the pump, driving means connected to the pump in normal operation thereof, and automatic means operated by a torsion tending to uncouple said shaft for disengaging said driving means therefrom.

5. In a rotary pump mechansim, the coinbination with a rotary pump, df a sectional actuating shaft therefor, couplings vfor .the shaft normally ti'htened during operation of the pump, a viven shaft and a clutch carried by one of said shafts adapted to ento tighten the couplings.

6. In a Well mechanism, the combination with a deep well rotary pump, of a vertically extending actuating shaft therefor, a driven shaft aligned with the actuating shaft, a collar on one of said shafts, a member rotatably mounted on the collar and connected to the other shaft, and a clutch carried by the collar adapted to engage said rotatably mounted member in vone direction of rotation only.

7. The combination with a deep Well rotary pump, of a vertically extending actuating shaft therefor, a driven shaft aligned with the actuating shaft, collars on the shafts, and a dog carried by one of said collars connecting' the shafts in one direction of rotation only.

8. The combination with a deep Well rotary pump, of a vertically extending actuating shaft for the pump, a driven shaft aligned with the actuating shaft, a collar on the actuating shaft, a thrust kbearing for the actuating shaft, a dog carried by the collar of the actuating sha-ft, and a collar on the driven shaft having a recess cooperating with said dog forming a one Way connection between the shafts. a

9. In a well mechanism, the combination of a deep well rotary pump, an actuating shaft extending vertically from the pump, a second shaft aligned with the actuating shaft, means for driving said second shaft, a member carried by one of said shafts mounted to reciprocate to and from a driving position, and'means carried by the other shaft providing an inclined and a substantially Vertical face, the vertical face contacting With said reciprocating member in one direction of rotation of the drive shaft to bring the shafts into driving relation, and the inclined face contacting with the reciprocating member on relative reverse movement between the two shafts, to reciprocate the member into non-driving position.

Dated this 29th day of March, 1923.

ALBERT L. ROCO;

MAHLON E. LAYNE. v n 

